News - Friday, August 25, 2017

America’s alt-right might feel at ease carrying torches and shouting Nazi slogans in today’s political climate, but they can’t expect to wrap themselves in the First Amendment and come out unscathed. Their jobs could be at risk.

A social media campaign to identify white supremacists at the deadly Unite the Right rally in Charlottesville, Virginia, led to the firing of several people nationwide whose employers wanted no connection to a national tragedy and views espoused by neo-Nazis and Ku Klux Klansmen.

State Rep. Johnnie Turner has seen what can happen when old wounds are never allowed to heal.

She’s seen it most recently in clashes between neo-Nazis, Ku Klux Klansmen and white supremacists and those who resist their hatred in Charlottesville, Virginia, where a counter-protester was killed and 19 were injured when a car was intentionally driven into a group of counter protesters. Two state troopers also died in a helicopter crash that weekend.

Best Lawyers has published its list of the best attorneys in the U.S. for 2018 - and more than 70 Chattanooga lawyers made the cut.

Best Lawyers also recognized many local attorneys as “Lawyers of the Year,” a designation given to individuals in high-profile specialties in large legal communities. Best Lawyers honors only one attorney in each community for each specialty.

These attorneys were recognized  in the 2018 edition of The Best Lawyers in America as Lawyers of the Year:

Baker Donelson Lawyers of the Year

• Cameron Hill, Sr.: Construction Law Lawyer of the Year
• Micheline Kelly Johnson: Patent Law Lawyer of the Year
• James Levine: Business Organizations Lawyer of the Year
• Joshua Powers: Medical Malpractice Law - Defendants Lawyer of the Year
• K. Stephen Powers: Bet-the-Company Litigation Lawyer of the Year
• Susan Elliott Rich: Banking and Finance Law Lawyer of the Year

Chambliss, Bahner & Stophel Lawyers of the Year

• Justice William Barker: Mediation Lawyer of the Year
• Dana Perry: Trusts and Estates Lawyer of the Year
• Michael St. Charles: Real Estate Law

Leitner, Williams, Dooley & Napolitan Lawyers of the Year

• William Godbold III: Personal Injury Litigation - Defendants Lawyer of the Year

Miller & Martin Lawyers of the Year

• John Bode: Litigation - Labor and Employment Lawyer of the Year
• William Brown: Arbitration Lawyer of the Year
• Christie Kizer Burbank: Health Care Law Lawyer of the Year
• James Haley IV: Securitization and Structured Finance Law Lawyer of the Year
• Douglas Johnson: Trademark Law Lawyer of the Year
• Hugh Sharber: Corporate Law Lawyer of the Year
• C. Crews Townsend: Product Liability Litigation - Defendants Lawyer of the Year
• W. Randall Wilson: Litigation - Construction Lawyer of the Year

The adage, “When one door closes, another one opens,” could be applied to Christi Doll’s real estate career. Only she didn’t wait for someone to open a door for her after another one had shut.

Doll built one and then opened it herself.

Oops. I goofed last year. So did lots of other people who thought Tennessee’s football team would win the SEC East Division and go to the league championship game for the first time since 2007. I predicted the Vols would go 10-2 in the regular season, 6-2 in the SEC, tie Georgia for the East Division title, go to the SEC Championship Game, lose to Alabama for a second time and go to the Orange Bowl.

You need three things to enjoy “Logan Lucky,” a heist comedy written by Rebecca Blunt and directed by Steven Soderbergh: a dry sense of humor, a tender heart and a friend.

If you come to the theater with those things, I believe you’ll have a great time. I brought only two of the three, and I enjoyed the heck out of it.

Girls Preparatory School is welcoming new faculty along with its 600 girls returning for the new school year.

“Over the summer, we worked to find qualified, dedicated women and men to fill positions here at GPS,” says Autumn Graves, head of school. “Our new employees are eager to encourage our girls to ask questions and challenge assumptions as they learn to think critically.”

Excavators, dozers, backhoes, trucks and other equipment will be sold at auction Wednesday, Aug. 30 at 10 a.m. at 3611 Amnicola Highway as Stein Construction closes its doors after 105 years. Compass Auctions and Real Estate will conduct the auction.

Chattanooga has hired Mark Wharton as its new athletic director.

Chancellor Steven Angle said Tuesday in a university release that Wharton’s “expertise in fundraising fits perfectly with the needs of our athletics program.” Wharton spent the last four years as Penn State’s associate athletics director for development.

Record traffic at the Chattanooga Metropolitan Airport has officials considering an expansion of the facility.

The Chattanooga Times Free Press reports that departures have climbed more than 19 percent through the first seven months of the year compared with the same period last year.

The Tennessee Department of Labor and Workforce Development, in cooperation with the U.S. Department of Labor, has awarded a $1,080,000 contract to Chattanooga State Community College to provide personnel to oversee and deliver career services to youth, adults and dislocated workers in Hamilton and four surrounding counties.

While it might seem crazy to be talking about flood insurance in the depth of summer, it’s an important issue with a major deadline looming in the near future.

The National Flood Insurance Program was created by the United States Congress through the National Flood Insurance Act of 1968. The program was designed to provide property owners with an avenue to purchase insurance against losses from flooding for properties across the county.

Natural or man-made disasters can hit any family at any time. Ensuring the personal safety of you and your loved ones is your No. 1 priority.

But being prepared for the aftermath by organizing your critical documents and communicating their location to designated individuals can save you many problems later should the unexpected occur.

Few of us have unlimited financial resources, which means that almost all of us need to prioritize our financial goals. Consequently, you’ll have some decisions to make if you’d like to help pay for your children’s college educations someday while, at the same time, saving for your own retirement.